Ranking requests by content providers in video content sharing community

ABSTRACT

A method of sharing an experience between a tapper and a content provider is provided. In this method, at least two interfaces are provided that are configured to allow the tapper and the content provider to join a content sharing community. A third interface is also provided to allow the tapper to select the content provider from a map where at least one of the tapper and the content provider are unknown to the other prior to the tapper selecting the content provider. Then a solicitation is conveyed from the tapper to the content provider to provide a video feed. A fourth interface is further provided to present the solicitations in an order according to predetermined ranking criteria.

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/020,556, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/912,567, filed on Jun. 7, 2013, which claims priority to thefollowing U.S. provisional applications 61/676,426, 61/676,431,61/676,436, 61/676,443, and 61/676,452 filed Jul. 27, 2012; 61/675,268,61/675,263, 61/675,258, and 61/675,271 filed Jul. 24, 2012; and61/656,619 filed Jun. 7, 2012. These and all other referenced extrinsicmaterials are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Wherea definition or use of a term in a reference that is incorporated byreference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that termprovided herein, the definition of that term provided herein is deemedto be controlling.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of the invention is data collection and managementtechnologies.

BACKGROUND

The background description includes information that may be useful inunderstanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any ofthe information provided herein is prior art or relevant to thepresently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically orimplicitly referenced is prior art.

With the pervasive use of cell phones capable of capturing or presentingcontent, there has been an ever growing demand for technologies thatallow users to participate in, or even create, augmented experiences.

Some efforts have been put forth in capitalizing on the above demand.For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2012/0192242 toKellerer titled “Method and Evaluation Server For Evaluating a Pluralityof Videos,” filed on Jan. 20, 2012 describes a system that identifies aset of videos capturing the same event from a plurality of videos, andprioritizes the videos based on a limited number of factors such asvideo characteristics and viewing angles. Unfortunately, Kellererapparently fails to take into account various factors that may be ofinterest in customizing a presentation for a user, and apparently failsto present the videos in a manner that optimizes viewing orcustomization capabilities of a user.

All publications identified herein are incorporated by reference to thesame extent as if each individual publication or patent application werespecifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference isinconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein,the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definitionof that term in the reference does not apply.

As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,250,616 to Davis titled “DistributedLive Multimedia Capture, Feedback Mechanism, and Network,” filed on Sep.28, 2007 describes presenting a set of videos in real-time, wherein thevideos can be organized based on presentation or ranking criteria (e.g.,popularity of event, popularity of broadcaster, length of coverage).U.S. Pat. No. 7,657,920 to Arseneau titled “System and Methods ForEnhancing The Experience of Spectators Attending a Live Sporting EventWith Gaming Capability,” filed on Jul. 21, 2006 describes a systemgenerally directed towards presentation of sports videos in whichthumbnails representing videos can be presented to a user for selection.Upon a user selection, Arseneau's system can display physiological dataassociated with an athlete in the video.

Further examples can be found in: U.S. Patent Application PublicationNumber 2009/0063419 to Nurminen titled “Discovering Peer-to-peer ContentUsing Metadata Streams,” filed on Aug. 31, 2007; Korean PatentApplication Number 2010/0069139 to Cho titled “System and Method ForPersonalized Broadcast Based on Dynamic View Selection of Multiple VideoCameras, Storage Medium Storing The Same,” filed on Dec. 15, 2008; U.S.Pat. No. 8,286,218 to Pizzurro titled “Systems and Methods of CustomizedTelevision Programming Over The Internet,” filed on Dec. 13, 2007;Canadian Patent No. 2,425,739 to Freeman titled “A Digital InteractiveSystem For Providing Full Interactivity With Live Programming Events,”filed on May 15, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,122,660 to Baransky titled“Method For Distributing Digital TV Signal and Selection of Content,”filed on Feb. 22, 1999; U.S. Patent Publication Numbers 2011/0117934 and2012/0059826 to Mate titled “Method and Apparatus For Mobile AssistedEvent Detection And Area of Interest Determination,” and “Method andApparatus For Video Synthesis,” respectively, and filed on Nov. 15, 2009and Jan. 24, 2011, respectively; and U.S. Patent Publication Number2012/0233000 to Fisher titled “Systems and Methods For Analytic DataGathering From Image Providers At An Event Or Geographic Location, filedon Mar. 7, 2012.

Unfortunately, previous known efforts have not been directed towardssimultaneous presentation of multiple video streams in a manner thatoptimizes a user's viewing experience or allows a user to requesttargeted modifications based on the information presented. Applicant hascome to appreciate that presenting multiple feeds in a clusteredarrangement aids in enhancing a user's experience.

Thus there is a need for improved data collection and presentationmanagement technologies.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The inventive subject matter provides apparatus, systems and methods inwhich one can leverage a remote experience interface system to accessone or more experience feeds related to an event. Such systems andmethods can advantageously allow a person to experience an event fromvarious perspectives that he or she may otherwise not be privy to.

One aspect of the inventive subject matter includes a system comprisinga feed aggregation engine coupled to one or more feed acquiring devices.The feed aggregation engine can be configured to obtain a plurality offeeds from the feed acquiring devices and construct an experience feedbased on an experience policy. In some preferred embodiments, theaggregated feeds could be related to a single event or venue (e.g.,game, concert, exhibit, etc.).

An experience policy can include various terms that dictate how anexperience feed is to be constructed. These terms can be based on anysuitable data, including for example, rules data, instructions data,cost data, fee data, subscription data, bid data, or various othercategories of data. The experience policy can be establishedautomatically, by viewers, by broadcasters, by a system manager, or byany other suitable techniques. Once the experience policy is establishedautomatically or otherwise, the feed aggregation engine constructs theexperience feed according to the terms of the experience policy and theacquired feeds. The feed aggregation engine can then provide theexperience feed to one or more output devices, and can instruct theoutput devices to present the experience feed to one or more users wherethe arrangement of feeds includes a cluster indicator. The output devicecan include computers, printers, tablets, kiosks, cell phones, or anyother commercially suitable types of computing devices.

In another aspect of the inventive subject matter, the experience feedcan be dynamic in nature, or be presented to a viewer in a manner thatallows the viewer to modify or customize the experience policy or theexperience feed based on the viewer's preferences.

Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the inventivesubject matter will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanyingdrawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic of a remote experience ecosystem.

FIG. 2 is a schematic showing generation of an experience policy.

FIG. 3 is a schematic showing generation of a plurality of metrics basedon experience policies and acquired feeds.

FIG. 4 is a schematic of a user interface including a plurality of feedsand controls.

FIG. 5 presents a method executable by a feed aggregation engine of theinventive subject matter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Throughout the following discussion, numerous references will be maderegarding servers, services, interfaces, engines, modules, clients,peers, portals, platforms, or other systems formed from computingdevices. It should be appreciated that the use of such terms is deemedto represent one or more computing devices having at least one processor(e.g., ASIC, FPGA, DSP, x86, ARM®, ColdFire®, GPU, etc.) configured toexecute software instructions stored on a computer readable tangible,non-transitory medium (e.g., hard drive, solid state drive, RAM, flash,ROM, etc.). For example, a server can include one or more computersoperating as a web server, database server, or other type of computerserver in a manner to fulfill described roles, responsibilities, orfunctions. One should further appreciate the disclosed computer-basedalgorithms, processes, methods, or other types of instruction sets canbe embodied as a computer program product comprising a non-transitory,tangible computer readable media storing the instructions that cause aprocessor to execute the disclosed steps. The various servers, systems,databases, or interfaces can exchange data using standardized protocolsor algorithms, possibly based on HTTP, HTTPS, AES, public-private keyexchanges, web service APIs, known financial transaction protocols, orother electronic information exchanging methods. Data exchanges can beconducted over a packet-switched network, the Internet, LAN, WAN, VPN,or other type of packet switched network.

One should appreciate that the disclosed techniques provide manyadvantageous technical effects including configuring devices to presentone or more user interfaces allowing users to manipulate or manage aremote experience.

The following discussion provides many example embodiments of theinventive subject matter. Although each embodiment represents a singlecombination of inventive elements, the inventive subject matter isconsidered to include all possible combinations of the disclosedelements. Thus if one embodiment comprises elements A, B, and C, and asecond embodiment comprises elements B and D, then the inventive subjectmatter is also considered to include other remaining combinations of A,B, C, or D, even if not explicitly disclosed.

One should appreciate that the disclosed systems and methods allow usersto remotely obtain a customized experience feed related to an eventbased on multiple dimensions of relevance. The experience feed caninclude a plurality of video feeds that are aggregated and presented ina manner that provides an optimal viewing experience for a user or groupof users. One should also appreciate that the disclosed system andmethods allow users to virtually and seamlessly navigate through, orobtain a virtual view from, selected areas within an arena or othergeographic location without having to weave through crowds, pay foradditional tickets, or even leave their house.

Example scenarios that can benefit from such technology include, amongother things, concerts, plays, museums, exhibits, tourism, ticketvendors, movie theatres, social networking, location scouting, fashionshows, or other scenarios.

In FIG. 1, ecosystem 100 illustrates a remote experience interfacesystem. Contemplated systems include an experience feed interface 120coupled to a plurality of feed acquiring devices 101, 102, 103, 104 viaa feed aggregation engine 180. The plurality of feeds can be sent orotherwise transmitted from sensing devices 101, 102, 103, 104 over anetwork 107 (e.g., Internet, cellular network, LAN, VPN, WAN, parts of apersonal area network, etc.) to feed aggregation engine 180 that ispreferably configured or programmed to aggregate the plurality of feeds111 into one or more experience feeds 130 according to an experiencepolicy 112, and possibly other metrics, dimensions, terms, or otherfactors. Experience feed 130 can then be transmitted to one or moredevices (e.g., computers, tablets, game consoles, game handhelds, cellphones, appliances, vehicles, etc.) over a network 108 for presentationvia an interface e.g., 120.

One should appreciate that the disclosed technology can allow a user tovirtually experience an event 110 that he would otherwise not haveaccess to through reception of video feeds obtained from devices locatedin proximity to the event. It is contemplated that experience feed 130can be constructed from not only video feeds, but additionally oralternatively from original or modified audio data, image data, textualdata, time data, location data, orientation data, position data,acceleration data, movement data, temperature data, metadata, user data,or any other suitable sensor data acquired by feed acquiring devices101, 102, 103, 104 having one or more corresponding sensors (e.g., amechanical sensor, a biometric sensor, a chemical sensor, a weathersensor, a radar, an infrared sensor, an image sensor, a video sensor, anaudio sensor, or any other commercially suitable sensor that canconstruct or acquire sensor data.). Contemplated feed acquiring devicescan include, among other things, a mobile phone, a smart phone, acamera, a tablet, a video camera, virtual reality glasses, a securitycamera, a computer, a laptop, or any other suitable feed acquiringdevice.

Individuals or entities controlling feed acquiring devices 101, 102,103, 104 can be considered broadcasters of an event 110. The eventbroadcasters can utilize feed acquiring devices to acquire video orother sensor data related to one or more focal zones 101A, 102A, 103A,104A of an event 110. Once the various feeds of video or other data areaggregated by feed aggregation engine 180, the feeds can be modified orcurated for presentation in experience feed 130 according to anexperience policy 112.

An experience policy 112 related to an event 110 preferably includesevent attributes, commands, and other terms that can dictate how anexperience feed is to be constructed. It is contemplated that anexperience policy 112 can be generated by one or more persons orentities, including for example, a viewer, a system or event manager, abroadcaster, or a conflicts manager. Where multiple persons or entitiescontribute to generation of an experience policy, it is contemplatedthat data relating some or all of the terms (e.g., rules, commands,costs, fees, subscriptions, bids, etc.) can be transmitted via one ormore interfaces 160, 170 to a policy generation module (not shown) forgeneration of an experience policy.

One should appreciate that the aggregated feeds 111 or experiencepolicies 112 can be utilized to derive one or more experience dimensionsof relevance that can provide a description of data contained therein.The experience dimensions can be derived based on the context (e.g.,data acquired in feeds 111 suggests that some feeds include loud audiowhile others only contain video, etc.), or can be derived based on aknown input received by a policy generator. As one example of a knowninput, an experience policy may include a user input term suggesting apreference for a front row view of a lead singer of a band. Such termcan be used to derive, among other things, a location dimension or afocal dimension.

Other contemplated experience dimensions include for example a timedimension, a point of view dimension, a capacity dimension, a relevancydimension, a proximity dimension, a relationship dimension, a ratingdimension, an emotional dimension, a sensory modality dimension, a colordimension, a volume dimension, or any other suitable category of datathat may be of relevance in generating an experience feed 130.

The experience dimensions, aggregated feeds or experience policies canthen be used to generate or calculate one or more metrics associatedwith an experience dimension, which can provide a value associated withthe dimension. Contemplated metrics include for example, a locationmetric 113 (e.g., GPS coordinate value; physical address; zip code; acentroid of devices, friends, celebrity or venue; etc.), a focal metric115 (e.g., coordinates associated with a central point of view, a tilt,a rotation, an angle, etc.), a time metric (e.g., a time of day, alength of feed, an estimated time of arrival or start, etc.), a capacitymetric (e.g., a venue capacity value, a percent to capacity value,etc.), an experience feed arrangement metric 114 (e.g., primary feedlocation, primary feed size, etc.), a relationship metric (e.g., adistance between broadcasters, a ranking of the most popular videos,etc.), a relevancy metric (e.g., a percentage of user preferences met bya video feed, etc.), a proximity metric (e.g., a distance to a focalzone, a distance to a person, etc.), an emotion metric (e.g., a numberof smiling people, a percentage of smiling people, a color, abrightness, etc.), or any other suitable metric. One should appreciatethat multiple values or types of values can be associated with a singledimension, and that a single value can be a metric of one, two, or eventfive or more dimensions.

In some preferred embodiments, feed aggregation engine 180 can beconfigured to construct an experience feed 130 having an arrangement ofa primary feed and a plurality of peripheral feeds according to anexperience policy 112. Experience feed 130 can also be constructedhaving an arrangement of feeds based on one or more metrics 113, 114,115. For example, a preferred location 105 and a preferred focal point106 can be input by a user, broadcaster or manager and used to generatea location metric and focal metric in constructing experience feed 130.

In the example provided, experience feed 130 is presented with a primaryfeed 104B and peripheral feeds 101B, 102B, 103C having an arrangementaccording to at least one of the experience policy 112, location metric113, and focal metric 115. In especially preferred embodiments, a“primary feed” can comprise one or more feeds that best match thetotality of terms included in experience policy 112 and metrics 113,114, and 115. In FIG. 1, primary feed 104B is captured by feed acquiringdevice 104, and is the stream that best matches a combination of thelocation metric 113 generated based on preferred location 105, and focalmetric 115 generated based on preferred focal point 106. Feed 103B iscaptured by feed acquiring device 103 and provides the best match forlocation metric 113. However, feed 103B could be considered peripheralbecause it provides a weak match for focal metric 115. Similarly, feed101B could be peripheral despite providing a closer match to focalmetric 115 because feed 101B provides a weak match to location metric101.

Experience feed 130 can also advantageously include a cluster indicator140 generated as a function of a focal metric 115. Cluster indicator 140can comprise a visual or non-visual indicator of the feeds that providean indication of a match (e.g., best, worst, etc.) to focal metric 115or any other dimension or metric. In the example shown, focal cluster isa visual box surrounding feeds 101B and 104B whose focal zones 101A and104A best match preferred focal point 106. However, other possiblevisual indicators include a color, an image, a video, a symbol, a text,a number, a highlight, a change in size, or any other suitable visualindicator. Possible non-visual indicators include a sound, a voice, asignal, a smell, or any other suitable non-visual indicator. It is alsocontemplated that cluster indicator 140 can be generated as a functionor two, three or even four or more dimensions, metrics or terms.Furthermore, cluster indicators can be provided generated as a functionof one or more non-focal dimensions or metrics (e.g., a time clustershown as a clock can be generated as a function of a time metric, alocation cluster shown in a red block can be generated as a function ofa time metric and a direction of view metric, etc.).

One should appreciate that cluster indicators can be used in relation toan event for various purposes. These purposes can include, among otherthings, social networking, discovering new people or topics of interest,finding a person of interest, making a purchase, obtaining arecommendation, improving education, targeted marketing or advertising,improving telepresence, achieving business goals, or any other suitablepurpose that furthers a goal or interest of a viewer, event manager,broadcaster, or advertisers.

While many of the examples hereinafter focus on providing clusterindicators to viewers, the following possible use case illustrates howcluster indicators can be provided to an event manager or advertiser toassist in determining what targeted marketing material to present toviewers. Perry Farrell, the creator of Lollapalooza® could provideremote experiences to viewers who cannot attend the music festival inperson. Stone Temple Pilots® (STP), a band performing at Lollapalooza,wishes to advertise its new album to remote viewers who may beinterested in pre-purchasing the album. There could be three stages atthe festival, and each stage could have scheduled performance at alltimes during the three-day festival. In order to provide targetedadvertisement opportunities to STP, Perry could obtain an experiencefeed that provides an indication of broadcasters that are capturingfeeds of STP's performance or stage (pre-performance), and include STP'sadvertisement in those feeds. When a viewer selects those broadcaster'sfeeds during STP's performance, they could view the pre-saleadvertisement for STP's new album and possibly be provided with a linkto make a purchase.

It is also contemplated that feed radar 170 can be presented to a userto provide a simple or consolidated presentation of feed data. Feedradar 170 can show a relative location of peripheral feeds in relationto a primary feed. Feed radar 170 can also advantageously present anindication of other information related to the feeds, for example, afocal zone, a direction of view with respect to the focal zone, a time,a quality, a capacity, a capability, a volume, or a compliance with aset of terms. In the example provided, radar 170 provides an indicationof where each feed acquiring device is located relevant to a preferredlocation (e.g., 105). Radar 170 also provides an indication of howclosely the devices' focal zone matches a focal preference (e.g., 106).In this example, the indication is provided through the variation inshading of circles representing the devices. Other suitable indicationsinclude a difference is sizing, color or symbol; a boxed portion; animage; text; or any other suitable indications.

FIG. 2 illustrates a policy generation module 255, which obtains inputsand generates experience policy 212. As discussed above, experiencepolicy 212 can be related to an event and include event term data thatdictates how an experience feed is to be constructed. Term data can berepresented in a memory coupled to a central processing unit of acomputing device, and can include rule data, instruction data, costdata, fee data, subscription data, rights data, bid data, command dataor any other suitable types of data that may be obtained by policygeneration module 255 in relation to an event. It is contemplated thatexperience policy 212 terms can be used to generate instructions (e.g.,scripts, compiled code, executable instructions, etc.) useful inconstructing an experience feed to be presented to a user. It is alsocontemplated that the experience policy 212 itself can compriseinstructions derived or generated based on some or all of the term data,which can be carried out, run or executed by a computer or a virtualmachine in presenting an experience feed to a user.

In some preferred embodiments, an experience policy 212 is generated bypolicy generation module 255 via input of at least one of a user, anevent manager, a system manager, a broadcaster, an advertiser, or otherperson or entity having an interest in an arrangement of an experiencefeed. In the example shown a user can provide input via user interface210, a manager can provide input via manager interface 250 and one ormore broadcasters can provide inputs via broadcaster interface 260. Eachof the interfaces 210, 250 and 260 can be communicatively coupled overnetwork 205 to policy generation module 255, which is configured togenerate an experience policy 212 in accordance with some or all of theterm data.

As used herein, an “interface” can comprise any boundary across whichtwo independent systems can meet or communicate. Exemplary interfacescomprise, among other things, a web browser, a keyboard, applicationsoftware, an application suite, an application program interface (API),a touchscreen, a mouse, a graphical user interface (GUI), a web userinterface (WUI), or any other suitable boundary. It is contemplated thatpersons or entities can provide inputs via an interface in any suitablemanner, including for example, by a selection among a plurality ofoptions, by a gesture, by a drag-n-drop mechanism, by a keyboard, by amouse click, by voice command, by a gesture, or any other suitablemanner. One should also appreciate that one or more of the interfaces(e.g., user interface, etc.) can comprise an experience feed interfaceconfigured to present an experience feed constructed according toexperience policy 212, or can comprise a separate interface.

All suitable types of input can be provided to policy generation module255 via an interface, including for example, rule data, instructiondata, preference data, emotion data, desired indicator data,subscription data, bid data, cost data, fee data, ranking data, or anyother suitable input. This input can be manually input by the inputprovider, can be automatically obtained via one or more sensors ofinterface 250 (e.g., biometric sensor, GPS sensor, accelerometer,camera, audio sensor, thermometer, microphone, breathalyzer, a smokedetector, a rain sensor, a gyroscope, etc.), or can be derived from dataobtained automatically or as an input.

In the example provided, data obtained from a user or user interface isreferred to as user defined policy term data 210A. It should beappreciated that any suitable type of inputs can be provided by a user,which can include preference data (e.g., a location preference, focalzone preference, sound quality preference, etc.), ranking data (e.g., anorder of importance of experience feed characteristics, etc.), accountdata (e.g., a balance, a subscription, user name, password, pendingcharges, authorized charges, etc.), rule data (e.g., indemnification bya broadcaster or manager against copyright infringement, etc.), or anyother suitable types of input.

In the example provided, data obtained from a manager or managerinterface is referred to as venue required policy term data 220A. Itshould be appreciated that any suitable type of inputs can be providedby a system or event manager, which can include capacity data (e.g., abroadcaster capacity, a camera capacity, a person capacity, a viewercapacity, an area capacity, etc.), rule data (e.g., prohibited activity,broadcaster requirements, viewer requirements, etc.), command data(e.g., how a primary feed is to be presented, number of feeds presented,type of cluster indicator, interface components to be provided to a user(e.g., selector, volume adjuster, touch-screen capability, time-shiftingbuttons, etc.), etc.), cost data (e.g., amount a broadcaster is beingpaid, account management, etc.), fee data (e.g., amount to charge viewerfor actions, amount to charge broadcaster for recording permit, etc.),or any other suitable types of input.

In the example provided, data obtained from a broadcaster or abroadcaster interface is referred to as broadcaster defined policy termdata 230A. It should be appreciated that any suitable type of inputs canbe provided by a broadcaster of an event, which can include rules data,instruction data, cost data, bid data (e.g., amount required to beginstreaming, amount required for a location within a venue, amountrequired for a type of camera used, etc.), permit data (e.g., types ofclearances obtained, etc.), or any other suitable types of inputs.

One should appreciate that any term data obtained from any persons orentities can be used in at least one of: deriving a dimension ofrelevance; generating a metric associated with one or more of thederived dimensions; and generating clusters associated with a dimensionor metric (e.g., location cluster, cost cluster, location cluster, bidcluster, fee cluster, ranking cluster, etc.).

It is contemplated that each term data 210A, 220A, 230A of policygeneration module 255 can be included in experience policy 212 as arule, an instruction, a cost, or other term. More preferably, acombination of policy generation module term data 210A, 220A or 230A canbe used to derive or generate a term of experience policy 212. As usedherein, a “term” can comprise any rule, command, cost, fee,subscription, bid, an instruction derived or generated from one or moreof the aforementioned for execution in presenting an experience feed toa user, or any other suitable term that can be generated as a functionof term data obtained by policy generation module 255, and suitable foruse in constructing an experience feed.

The following use case provides an example of how input from variouspersons or entities can be used to generate an experience policy havingvarious terms. Tomas's favorite band Pearl Jam is playing a show at theHouse of Blues® (HOB®) on Sunset Boulevard, but Tomas is in Brazil andunable to attend the show. Using his mobile computing device, Tomasconnects to policy generation module 255 and communicates that he wishesto view the Pearl Jam HOB show from front row center, with a focal zonecovering the entire band, a front-facing direction of view, and superiorsound quality. The communication of his front row center preference canbe accomplished via his prior inputs in relation to five otherexperience feeds he viewed in the last two months, all of whichrequested a front row center view. The communication of his focal zonepreference can be accomplished via a selection made through his mobilecomputing device, which can present a plurality of focal zones to selectfrom or rank. The communication of his superior sound quality preferencecan be accomplished via a voice command obtained via an audio sensor ofhis mobile computing device, or be a default input for all events viewedthrough Tomas's account.

In addition to Tomas's inputs, policy generation module 255 can obtainvarious event manager inputs via manager interface 250. These inputs caninclude, among other things, a twenty-five broadcaster capacity for theevent, a five broadcaster capacity for the front row of the event, arule allowing cameras inside the venue, and a limitation on flashphotography. Still further, policy generation module 255 can obtainvarious broadcaster inputs via broadcaster interface 260. These inputscan include inputs from various broadcasters available for an event, andcan include a fee, a venue location, a focal zone, a data type, adirection of view, an assignment, and a copyright ownership notice.

As discussed above, one or more terms obtained by policy generationmodule 255 can become a term of experience policy 212, or used to derivea term of experience policy 212. For example, and continuing on the usecase above, the front row preference of the user, locations provided bybroadcasters, and the front row capacity information can be used togenerate rule 213 requiring that only feeds from the five broadcasterslocated in the front row are included in Tomas's experience feed. Asanother example, the fee input provided by a broadcaster via interface260 can become cost 215 or fee 216.

While the above example focuses on generating experience policies viaone or more inputs, it should be appreciated that an experience policy212 can be generated using known data (e.g., previously input data, ruleof law, etc.), including a right of publicity law, a venue requirement,a user preference, a user default, a broadcaster default, stage locationdata, or any other data included in a previously generated experiencepolicy. It should also be appreciated that a system of the inventivesubject matter can be configured to identify potential applicability ofa rule, notify a system manager or other user of the potentialapplicability, and provide an appropriate resolution or recommendation.For example, where an event comprises a music festival that plans to useholographic images of a deceased celebrity, rule 213 can be related tothe celebrity's right of publicity (e.g., the right to control its name,image, personal, etc.). The system can be configured to identify apotential right of publicity issue in the state of California based onthe data obtained by policy generation module 255 (e.g., the celebrity'sdomicile in California at the time of death, etc.) and notify the eventmanager of a potential issue. The system can also recommend a possibleresolution or recommendation derived from the law, including forexample, a recommendation that the event manager obtain clearance forthe use from the deceased celebrity's estate. As other examples, thesystem can be configured to identify a potential copyright infringementbased on a lack of copyright clearance input, or a need for anassignment or work for hire agreement from a broadcaster based on inputsindicating previous user or system manager complaints.

As with any system that allows multiple inputs, especially where theinputs can be provided by multiple persons or entities, it iscontemplated that a conflict may arise among two or more inputs. Suchconflicts can arise between inputs of a single person or entity, inputsof multiple persons or entities, an input and known data, or any otherinformation obtained by policy generation module. In such scenarios, itis contemplated that any suitable conflict resolution means can beutilized to determine what term(s) to generate, derive or apply. Theconflict resolution means can comprise, among other things, a conflictresolution engine that can resolve conflicts based on one or more of atiming of an input; a ranking; a loyalty of a user, manager orbroadcaster; a preference of a user, manager or broadcaster; or anyother suitable basis. The conflict resolution engine can actautomatically based on a set of pre-defined rules, or can require inputfrom a conflict resolution manager familiar with rules for resolving aconflict. For example, where a broadcaster provides a policy termrequiring a cost of $0.25 per copy of a video feed, and a system managerprovides a policy term requiring a payout of $0.10 to the broadcasterper copy of a video feed, a conflict resolution engine can automaticallyresolve the conflict by identifying a default term, for example, basedon a prior agreement between the system manager and broadcaster agreeingto a payment of $0.15 per copy. As another example, it is contemplatedthat a broadcaster can provide bid requirements that differ from asystem manager. The broadcaster may provide an input requiring a totalbid amount of $1,000 and a minimum bid of $0.10 per viewer (i.e., bidsof varying amounts). A system manager may provide an input requiringthat all bids are the same amount (e.g., each viewer must bid $0.50, andthere must be at least 2,000 bidders). The conflict resolution managercan resolve the conflict by determining how flexible a broadcaster hasbeen in previous auctions and determining whether applying the systemmanager's rule would alienate the broadcaster.

Upon generation of experience policy 212, it can be transmitted overnetwork 215 to feed aggregation engine 280, which is configured toconstruct an experience feed having an arrangement of feeds according tothe experience policy 212. The feed aggregation engine 280 can constructthe experience policy by executing instructions either included inexperience policy 212, or generated based on terms in experience policy212. Experience policy 212 can comprise any suitable number of terms:including rules, commands, instructions, costs, fees, subscriptions,bids, rankings (e.g., of broadcasters, users, subscribers, etc.),defaults, or any other suitable terms that can be useful in constructingan experience feed.

As used herein, a “rule” can comprise a term of an experience policythat comprises a regulation or principle regarding one or more elementsof an experience feed that either must be followed, or is preferably tobe followed. Examples include, among other things, a copyright law, aright of publicity law, a license requirement, a copyright notificationrequirement, a trademark notification requirement, a disclaimerrequirement, an assignment requirement, or any other suitable rule setby an event manager, performer, broadcaster, user, court, legislativebody, agency or other person or entity.

As used herein, a “cost” can comprise a term of an experience policythat includes a cost associated with providing a particular feed in anexperience feed. As examples, a cost can comprise a cost to a user toobtain a particular feed (e.g., $1.00 to obtain a feed meeting at least90% of a user's preferences, etc.), or can comprise a cost to a systemmanager for each provision of a particular feed (e.g., $0.20 to be paidto the broadcaster each time the broadcaster's video is included).

As used herein, a “fee” can comprise a term of an experience policy thatincludes a fee to be charged to a user upon an action, including forexample, a zoom, a save, a time-shift, having more than one primaryfeed, a viewing in a public venue (e.g., a restaurant, bar, café, poolhall, etc.), or any other action by a user with respect to an experiencefeed.

As used herein, a “subscription” can comprise data related to one ormore users, including a user name, a password, account information, acredit history, a payment received by a user, a balance, or any othersuitable data that indicates the type of experience feed to provide to auser, or an action allowable by a user.

As used herein, a “bid” can comprise data related to a pricing of awish-list feed available via a crowd-based bidding platform (e.g., avirtual auction or bartering platform, etc.). The pricing can be relatedto a price that a broadcaster requires in order to begin capturing orproviding a feed, or can comprise a price that one or more users arewilling to pay, or have pre-paid, in order to obtain a feed. As evidentin the following use case, a crowd-based bidding platform can allowusers and broadcasters to dictate the types of feeds that are to be madeavailable in relation to an event. Broadcaster X is required to pay$1,000 to the UFC® organization if he wishes to capture video of thenext Anderson Silva fight. Broadcaster X is available for the event, butis only willing to participate as a broadcaster if he can obtain $10,000in user fees. Broadcaster X utilizes the bidding platform provided bythe inventive subject matter to open bidding to sports bar owners acrossthe country. It is contemplated that the types and amounts of bidsaccepted by Broadcaster X can be customized in any suitable manner by aperson or entity accepting bids. Here, Broadcaster X can customize thebidding platform to, among other things, accept bids only over a minimumamount, require a premium amount for obtaining access to AndersonSilva's pre-fight interview, require a premium amount for capturingcelebrities attending the fight, accept non-cash bids, or allow biddersto vote to select Broadcaster X's location, focal zone, direction ofview or other feed capturing characteristic.

One should appreciate that the dissemination of bids through a system ofthe inventive subject matter can be observed, studied or managed by asystem manager or broadcaster. This data can be used to determine whatevents, broadcasters or feed characteristics are in demand by a user orgroups of users in order to make profitable business decisions. Forexample, a broadcaster can use the bidding data to determine the type ofrequests that are popular in a specific context. Based on the data thebroadcaster can, among other things, purchase a specific seat in a venuefor acquiring feeds, utilize a specific device, modify settings of thedevice, or determine a type of emotion to capture or evoke.

As used herein, a “command” can comprise a term of an experience policythat initiates an operation defined by an instruction (defined below).Examples of commands can include, among other things, a command tocentrally focus a primary feed; enlarge a primary feed; arrangeperipheral feeds into a cluster based on focus, location, time, quality,etc.; include a mauve, pink, blue, black, gold, red, or other backgroundcolor; allow a zoom, pause, rewind, fast-forward, etc.; require a feefor a selection, a zoom, a recording, an increase in number of primaryfeeds, etc.; or any other suitable command. At least one correspondinginstruction can be included as a term to dictate how the operationinitiated by the command is to be achieved.

As used herein, an “instruction” can comprise a term generated orderived from one or more terms of an experience policy, which can beprovided as executable code, scripts or other suitable format forexecution, running or carrying out by a computer or virtual machine.These instructions can, when executed, construct components of anexperience feed that is customized according to at least some of theinputs obtained by a policy generation engine. For example, executablecode can be provided as an instruction to arrange peripheral feeds(e.g., left to right, front to back, largest to smallest, etc.) based ona relationship dimension (e.g., highest to lowest number of the viewer'sfriends or relatives found in each feed, etc.) or other dimension. Theinstruction could be based on a user term showing a preference for suchfeeds.

One should appreciate that any term of an experience policy caninfluence not only an arrangement of feeds in an experience feed, butalso what cluster indicator(s) are provided in the experience feed. Asdiscussed above, cluster indicators can be used in relation to an eventfor various purposes. One should also appreciate that a clusterindicator can be dynamic in nature to advantageously provide a user withvarious indications throughout an event without requiring a user inputduring the event. A dynamic cluster indicator can allow a user to besimultaneously or sequentially presented with clusters that indicatedifferent dimensions or metrics.

The following possible use case illustrates how a dynamic clusterindicator could be provided in accordance with terms of an experiencepolicy. Daniel has a sprained ankle but wishes to make certain purchasesfor an upcoming trip to Hawaii. Daniel's friends Annie, Amanda, Andy and16 others agree to go to the Grove® to provide Daniel with a remoteshopping experience (i.e., act as broadcasters). Daniel connects to apolicy generation engine over the internet and communicates that hewould like an indication of the following sub-events: (1) who is at ornext to his favorite store J Crew®; (2) who is viewing oxford shoes; (3)who is viewing a sale; and (4) who is near a celebrity. The policygeneration engine could include instructions in a generated experiencepolicy that, upon execution by a processor, generates a clusterindicator that is configured to change when one or more of thesub-events take place. For example, if one or more of Daniel's friendsare viewing oxford shoes, the cluster indicator can provide anindication of such broadcasters (e.g., via a semi-transparent red box,etc.). If Daniel's friends are no longer viewing oxford shoes, but Anniewalks by Rihanna, the cluster indicator can provide an indication thatAnnie is passing Rihanna (e.g., via a semi-transparent blue box, etc.).Where a cluster indicator indicates a sub-event that may be of interestto one or more of Daniel's friends, it is contemplated that Daniel canshare the cluster information via a system of the inventive subjectmatter. For example, Daniel can communicate with an experience feedinterface and cause the cluster information to be sent to his friends asan alert to a feed acquiring device, an alert to a broadcasterinterface, or a message to a social networking site (e.g., Facebook®,Twitter®, etc.).

One should appreciate that two or more sub-events can occur at the sametime. As such, a dynamic cluster indicator can sequentially provideindications of the sub-events (e.g., via a dotted box formed around thedifferent clusters sequentially, etc.). Additionally or alternatively,two or more sub-events can be indicated simultaneously by one or morecluster indicators (e.g., via a box having two-tones to indicate twodifferent sub-events, etc.).

FIG. 3 illustrates metric generation 300 based on an experience policyand a plurality of feeds. As discussed above, the plurality of feeds 311can be received by feed aggregation engine 380 from a plurality of feedcapturing devices (See e.g., FIGS. 1, 101, 102, 103 and 104). Theexperience policies 310 can be received by feed aggregation engine 380from a policy generation engine (See e.g., FIG. 2, 255). Also asdiscussed above, an experience policy 310 can comprise various termsthat influence or dictate how an experience feed is constructed. Asshown in FIG. 3, experience policy 310 can further be used to derivedimensions and generate metrics that can influence how an experiencefeed is constructed. As used herein, a “dimension” can comprise anaspect or feature of an event or feed, and a “metric” can comprise ameasurement or value associated with a dimension. For example, a“location dimension” can indicate that location is an importantcharacteristic to be considered in constructing an experience feed,while a “GPS coordinate” can indicate the type of location informationavailable or of value.

In the example provided, feed aggregation engine 380 aggregates aplurality of feeds 320 from a plurality of feed acquiring devices (notshown), and obtains experience policies 310 associated with variousviewers of an event (e.g., ten experience policies, wherein eachexperience policy is associated with a different viewer or viewers,etc.). While the experience policies 310 can advantageously comprisesome of the same terms (e.g., from system managers, broadcasters,advertisers, etc.), the experience policies 310 can also comprisedifferent terms based on inputs from a diverse group of viewers. It iscontemplated that information obtained from one or more of theexperience policies 310 can be used to generate dimensions 330, possiblyutilizing data obtained or derived from feeds 320. The number ofdimensions 330 derived can increase depending on the number ofexperience policies 310 considered, as additional experience policiescan increase the number of terms from which dimensions 330 can bederived.

One should appreciate that for each dimension 330 (e.g., locationdimension 332, etc.), one or more metrics (e.g., 340, 342, 344, 346,348, 340, etc.) can be generated. For example, where a dimensioncomprises a time dimension, it is contemplated that the followingmetrics can be generated: a time of day (e.g., 2:00 PM, etc.), a lengthof feed (e.g., 45.3 seconds, etc.), an estimated time of arrival of aperformer (7:13 PM, etc.), an estimated time of arrival of a broadcaster(2:00 PM, etc.), a start time 2.5 seconds, etc.), or any other suitabletime metric. Some or all of the dimensions or metrics can have aninfluence on an arrangement of the feed. Because the number ofdimensions derived can be increased via consideration of multipleexperience policies associated with an event, the number of metricsgenerated with respect to each experience policy 310 can be increased tothereby provide an optimally customized experience feed to users. Whileit can generally be preferred that one or more values associated witheach of the dimensions can be generated or calculated for each viewer orexperience policy, it is contemplated that some experience policies 310could lack a term that allows metric generation for one or more or thederived dimensions.

While the following use case provides some examples of dimensions andmetrics that can be derived or generated by a system of the inventivesubject matter, it should be appreciated that all suitable dimensionsand metrics are contemplated, including those listed with respect toFIG. 1.

On New Year's Eve 2014, Martin, Nick and Bob are three of many viewerswho have signed up to view the Times Square Ball drop via theirrespective computing devices in California. Each of the three experiencepolicies generated for the three viewers can include some of the sameterms generated based on broadcaster and manager inputs. These caninclude: location data indicating that broadcaster X is located in frontof the event host's platform; focal zone data indicating thatbroadcaster Y's focal zone is to follow the Times Square Ball as itdrops; and performance data indicating that Britney Spears is scheduledto perform on stage one at 8:00 PM eastern time, followed by the bandJourney.

In addition, Martin's experience policy can include a user preference toprovide the best view of the event's hosts from 9:00 PM-11:30 PM, and abest view of the Times Square Ball dropping from 11:30 PM to 12:30 PM.Nick's experience policy can also include a user specific termindicating a preference for uplifting footage, and a view of Journey's®performance. Bob's experience policy can further include a user specificterm indicating a preference for the best view of the ball dropping atmidnight, and a request to view the most popular feeds available at allother times. Furthermore, the various feeds acquired by the broadcasterscan be characterized by certain attributes, including a clarity, a soundquality, a closeness to a focal point, a focal zone, and various otherattributes.

Based on all of the aforementioned information available, the system candetermine that the following dimensions, among others, are of relevanceto one or more of the viewers: (1) a location dimension, (2) a focaldimension, and (3) a ranking dimension. The feed aggregation engine canuse the derived dimensions and one or more of experience policies 310 tothen generate metrics associated with each of Martin, Nick and Bob'srespective experience policy for some or all of the three dimensions.For example, a location metric associated with the location dimensionand Martin's experience policy can be generated including the locationdata of broadcaster X. As another example, a focal metric associatedwith the focal dimension and Nick's experience policy can be generatedincluding a focal zone of broadcaster Y at 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM. As yetanother example, a ranking metric associated with the ranking dimensionand Bob's experience policy can be generated including a regularlyupdated top five list of popular videos.

These metrics can be used by a feed aggregation engine of the inventivesubject matter in constructing experience feeds for one or more viewersof an event. For example, an instruction set that can be derived fromthe input of the various viewers, broadcasters and managers can includeinstructions in Martin's experience policy to include a clusterindicator in Martin's experience feed that indicates, in real-time, allfeeds from feed acquiring devices whose focal zone includes the TimesSquare Ball. As another example, an instruction set that can be derivedfrom the input can include instructions to include a cluster indicatorin Nick's experience feed that indicates, in substantially real-time,all feeds from feed acquiring devices located near a stage, andcapturing feeds of happy events (e.g., proposals, laughter, etc.) As yetanother example, an instruction set that can be derived from the inputcan include instructions to include a cluster indicator in Bob'sexperience feed that provides an indication of all feeds from feedacquiring devices located near the host's stand that have at least100,000 viewers.

FIG. 4 illustrates an experience feed interface 400 configured topresent an experience feed having an arrangement of feeds according toan experience policy. Experience feed interface 400 is configured toallow a user to manipulate, observe, or otherwise manage a remoteexperience feed constructed from a plurality of aggregated data feeds.One should appreciate that an experience feed interface can alsorepresent interfaces that can be leveraged by broadcasters, systemmanagers, or other participants in an ecosystem.

User interface 400 comprises a display 430 presenting a plurality offeeds including a primary feed 432, and a feed radar 470 providing aconsolidated or simplified representation of feed data as described withFIG. 1 above.

It is contemplated that an experience feed can include multipleexperience levels (e.g., different angles, different focus, differenttime frame, different sound quality, etc.) and that a user may wish tomodify one or more of the experience levels presented to him. As such,user interface 400 can further comprise various controls that allow auser to interact with a remote experience system of the inventivesubject matter to further customize the experience feed presented to theuser via interface 400.

In some embodiments, a plurality of feeds can be displayed in anarrangement mirroring the locations of feed acquiring devices in avenue. For example, display 430 can include feeds acquired from rows A-Fof the Great Western Forum™ between seat numbers 121 and 151, and bepresented as overlays in a 3D model of at least a portion of the Forum'sseating area. If the user wishes to view feeds captured by deviceslocated in different parts of the Forum, the user can simply utilizespace shift control 460 (e.g., by pressing one or more arrows on thescreen, pinching, expanding, voice command, etc.). Such a control canadvantageously allow a user to virtually view a focal point of an eventfrom a plurality of locations within a venue with little to no effort.Such a control can also allow a user to view different portions of theForum via a 3D model.

Another contemplated control includes audio control 444, which can allowa user to change an audio characteristic associated with one or morefeeds. For example, a user interested in viewing a concert, speech,debate or other event may want to listen to audio associated withdifferent feeds simultaneously or sequentially before selecting a feedfor long term viewing. Control 444 can advantageously allow the user tocontrol which audio feed(s) are turned on, a volume of the audio feed, aclarity of the audio feed, a bass of the audio feed, or any othersuitable audio characteristic associated with a feed. In someembodiments, control 444 can also advantageously include a scan settingthat allows a user to scan each of a set of feeds sequentially (e.g.,for 1, 5, 10, 20 seconds, etc.) without a user input.

Yet another contemplated control includes an indicator control 446,which can allow a user to select the type of cluster indicator 434 thatis presented to a user. For example, a user can press control 446 on thescreen and be presented with a pop-up or drop-down menu of availableindicators suitable for the experience feed being displayed. Asdiscussed above, a cluster indicator can comprise a visual or non-visualindicator that indicates a match to a metric. It is contemplated that acluster indicator can be three-dimensional in nature to provide a morerealistic virtual experience. For example, an indicator can comprise acluster of feeds that are presented using three-dimensional displaytechnology, or can comprise a three dimensional view of a portion of avenue from which a set of feeds are acquired. The indicator control orother control can also be configured to allow a user to modify a type ofcluster to be indicated. Such a control can allow a viewer to seamlesslyswitch between experience feeds that are arranged to present clustersbased on different dimensions or metrics (e.g., an experience feedhaving a focal cluster to an experience feed having a proximity clusterindicating the devices located in closest proximity to a selectedlocation, etc.).

The following possible use case provides an illustration of some of theways a user can interact with user interface 400 to obtain one or morecluster indicators 434 sequentially or simultaneously. Brandi teaches anonline fashion design course and has 500 students nationwide inattendance. Via her user interface, Brandi can obtain an experience feedincluding an arrangement of feeds acquired by her students inattendance. Using interface 400 as an example, Brandi can utilize spaceshift control to navigate through the 500 different feeds. Brandi canuse cluster indicator control 446 to select a cluster she wants anindication of, for example, all video feeds captured by students whohave indicated that they would like their designs reviewed. This clusterindicator can indicate the order in which the students provided anindication that their designs were ready for review (e.g., via anarrangement, via numbering, etc.). As the number of students wanting adesign reviewed could change over the time, it is contemplated that thecluster indicator, or an indication of an order in which requests weremade, could be updated on a regular basis (e.g., every 10 seconds, every60 seconds, every 120 seconds, etc.). User interface 400 can alsoinclude a control that allows Brandi to remove a feed from a clusterupon completion of a review.

As shown in the above use case, it is contemplated that a clusterindicator can change with time. This change can be based on a change infeeds that best match a metric (e.g., the feeds that capture a specificfocal zone can change over time, etc.), or can be dynamic and based on achange in the indication being presented (e.g., a cluster indicates afocal cluster, then indicates a relevancy cluster, etc.).

One should appreciate that the arrangement of an experience feed can bemodified in order to present the feeds indicated by a cluster indicatoradjacently to one another. Thus, an updated or modified clusterindicator could require a change in the arrangement of the feeds. It isalso contemplated that a cluster indicator could indicate feeds that arenot presented adjacent to one another. For example, a cluster indicatorcan comprise a symbol, an enlargement, a grayscale conversion, or otherindication next to, under, within, or above the relevant feeds of acluster.

Further examples of contemplated controls include, among other things:time shift control 442, which can allow a user to pause, stop, play,rewind, fast-forward, or otherwise navigate through a length of a feed;zoom control 450, which can allow a user to zoom in or out of one ormore feeds or; preferences control 452, which can allow a user to viewand modify preferences associated with an event, experience policy orexperience feed; type control 454, which can allow a user to select thetype(s) of feeds desired (e.g., text, video, image, audio, etc.);speaker control 456, which can allow a user to provide input via a voicecommand; or a view control, which can allow a user to switch between athird person view and a first person or other view to seamlesslynavigate through a 2D or 3D model of a venue.

One should appreciate that while some controls are discussed herein, allcommercially suitable controls that can enhance a remote viewingexperience or assist a user in interacting with an experience feed arecontemplated.

FIG. 5 illustrates a method 500 executable by a feed aggregation engineof the inventive subject matter. Method 500 includes a method ofconstructing an experience feed for presentation via an experience feedinterface.

Step 510 can include the step of aggregating a plurality of feedsrelated to an event, which can be obtained from a plurality of feedacquiring devices. While some of the above examples are directed to amusic events, one should appreciate that all suitable events arecontemplated, including for example, a concert, a sporting event, a liveaction game (e.g., poker, chess, etc.), a vacation, a disaster, a newsstory, an expedition, a traffic event, a live event, a flash mob, afashion show, a shopping event, a reality event, an accident, anemergency, a party, a premier, or other type of events. It iscontemplated that an event can be represented as a data structuredescribing a characteristic of an event (e.g., an event object) asdescribed in parent patent application Ser. No. 13/912,567, filed onJun. 7, 2013.

As shown in FIG. 1, the plurality of feeds can be acquired over anetwork in real-time or substantially real-time from devices located indifferent portions of a venue. It is contemplated that the plurality offeeds related to an event can comprise the same or different datamodalities (e.g., image, sound, video, etc.), and that the differentmodalities can be indicated by one or more cluster indicators. Moreover,the nature of an event can impact the types of feeds acquired. Forexample, where an event comprises a fashion show, video feeds may be ofmore interest to viewers than audio feeds. Where an event comprises aconcert, video and audio feeds may be of equal or similar importance toviewers. One should also appreciate that the nature of an event canimpact the feed acquiring devices utilized at an event. For example,mobile phones, handheld video cameras, cameras, audio recorders or othercompact devices may be of greater value for a crowded event (e.g., amusical festival, etc.). However, a desktop computer, laptop, kiosk orother larger devices having greater capabilities may be of greater valuefor an event having designated areas for broadcasters.

Step 520 can include the step of obtaining at least one experiencepolicy related to the event. As discussed above, an experience policycan be generated by a policy generation module based on data obtainedfrom one or more persons or entities. The experience policy can then betransmitted to the feed aggregation engine over a network and compriseinstructions to be executed by the feed aggregation engine to constructan experience feed having one or more cluster indicators and anarrangement of feeds according to the experience policy.

Step 530 can include the step of deriving one or more experiencedimensions from at least one of an experience policy and the pluralityof feeds. It can generally be preferred that the step of deriving one ormore experience dimensions can comprise deriving at least one of alocation dimension, focal dimension, or an emotional dimension as shownin steps 536, 537 and 538, respectively, which can be used to optimizecustomization of an experience feed to be presented to a user. Oneshould appreciate that dimensions can be derived based on input providedby one or more persons or entities, or from sensor data captured by oneor more feed acquiring devices or user devices. It should also beappreciated that the dimensions derived based on the inputs provided canbe used to derive a set of indications that would be of interest to oneor more users.

Sensor data can represent dimensions of human experience within ordinaryhuman senses (e.g., image data, audio data, video data, etc.), or canrepresent dimensions outside ordinary human senses (e.g., time data,location data, orientation, position, acceleration, movement,temperature, metadata, user data, health, olfactory, sound, kinesthetic,or other types of modal data). It is also contemplated that sensor datacan represent dimensions of human experience that cannot be directlyexperienced via a user device (e.g., a smell, taste, etc.). In suchembodiments, it is possible that the sensor data can be reduced to adimension that can be experienced via the user device (e.g., a visual oraudio representation of the smell, etc.).

Step 540 can include the step of generating one or more metrics based onat least one of an experience policy, an experience dimension and aplurality of feeds. As described above, the metric can provide a valuethat is associated with an experience dimension. It is contemplated thatthe step of generating one or more metrics can include the step ofgenerating at least one of a location metric, focal metric, relevancymetric or ranking metric as shown in steps 545, 546, 547 and 548,respectively. One should appreciate that one or more of the metricsgenerated could be used in conjunction with a set of indicators derivedfrom dimensions to determine which feeds, if any, should be included ina cluster to be identified by a cluster indicator.

Step 550 can include the step of constructing an experience feed. Theexperience feed can have an arrangement of a primary feed and aplurality of peripheral feeds according to at least one of an experiencepolicy, an experience dimension and a metric, and can include one ormore cluster indicators according to at least one of the aforementioned.One should appreciate that constructing an experience feed having suchan arrangement can include executing instructions included in, orderived from, terms of the experience policy.

In some preferred embodiments, the experience feed can be constructedbased on each of an experience policy, a plurality of experiencedimensions and a plurality of experience metrics. A goal of a system ofthe inventive subject matter is to provide experience feeds that areconstructed to be optimally customized to a user. One should appreciatethat this goal can be furthered by utilizing emotional data related to aviewer in order to create a feed that matches a feeling desired by theuser, or a feed that can influence a user's feelings. For example, dataobtained from a user can indicate that a user is particularly sensitiveto loud and angry noises. Based on this data, an experience feed can beconstructed to exclude loud angry noises by, for example, excludingaudio, or focusing on individual conversations rather than a loudperformer. Alternatively or additionally, an experience can beconstructed to intentionally include loud or angry feeds in an effort toinfluence the user's reaction or sensitivity to such noises.

To further achieve the aforementioned goal, step 560 can include thestep of constructing a modified experience feed based on a user input.Examples of constructing a modified experience feed based on a userinput can include modifying an arrangement of feeds to be presented;modifying one or more cluster indicator types or groupings; modifying asize, color or other visual element; modifying an audio component; orany other suitable modification based on a user input or change inpreference. While the step of constructing the modified experience feedcan be completed independently of an experience policy, it iscontemplated that the step can include modifying an underlyingexperience policy of a user and constructing a modified experience feedhaving an arrangement according to the modified experience policy.

It should also be appreciated that an experience policy can be dynamicin nature, in which the experience feed can be automatically modifiedwithout a user or other input. In other words, an experience policy cancomprise one or more secondary instructions, which are to be executedupon a pre-determined occurrence to modify a characteristic of theexperience feed. Examples of experience feed elements that can bedynamic in nature include, among other things, cluster groupings,indicator types, dimension or metric a cluster indicates, designation ofa feed as a primary feed, size or location of a feed, control types, orany other suitable experience feed elements.

As used herein, and unless the context dictates otherwise, the term“coupled to” is intended to include both direct coupling (in which twoelements that are coupled to each other contact each other) and indirectcoupling (in which at least one additional element is located betweenthe two elements). Therefore, the terms “coupled to” and “coupled with”are used synonymously. Within the context of this document terms“coupled to” and “coupled with” are also used euphemistically to mean“communicatively coupled with” over a network, where two or more devicesare able to exchange data with each other over the network, possibly viaone or more intermediary device.

In some embodiments, the numbers expressing quantities of ingredients,properties such as concentration, reaction conditions, and so forth,used to describe and claim certain embodiments of the invention are tobe understood as being modified in some instances by the term “about.”Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters set forth inthe written description and attached claims are approximations that canvary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by aparticular embodiment. In some embodiments, the numerical parametersshould be construed in light of the number of reported significantdigits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Notwithstandingthat the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scopeof some embodiments of the invention are approximations, the numericalvalues set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely aspracticable. The numerical values presented in some embodiments of theinvention may contain certain errors necessarily resulting from thestandard deviation found in their respective testing measurements.

As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow,the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless thecontext clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the descriptionherein, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the contextclearly dictates otherwise.

The recitation of ranges of values herein is merely intended to serve asa shorthand method of referring individually to each separate valuefalling within the range. Unless otherwise indicated herein, eachindividual value with a range is incorporated into the specification asif it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein canbe performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein orotherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and allexamples, or exemplary language (e.g. “such as”) provided with respectto certain embodiments herein is intended merely to better illuminatethe invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of theinvention otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should beconstrued as indicating any non-claimed element essential to thepractice of the invention.

Groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the inventiondisclosed herein are not to be construed as limitations. Each groupmember can be referred to and claimed individually or in any combinationwith other members of the group or other elements found herein. One ormore members of a group can be included in, or deleted from, a group forreasons of convenience and/or patentability. When any such inclusion ordeletion occurs, the specification is herein deemed to contain the groupas modified thus fulfilling the written description of all Markushgroups used in the appended claims.

It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that many moremodifications besides those already described are possible withoutdeparting from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subjectmatter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of theappended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification andthe claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possiblemanner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises”and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements,components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that thereferenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized,or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are notexpressly referenced. Where the specification claims refers to at leastone of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C . . . andN, the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element from thegroup, not A plus N, or B plus N, etc.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of sharing an experience between tappersand content providers, comprising: providing at least first and secondinterfaces, configured to allow the tappers and the content providers tojoin a content sharing community; providing at least a third interfaceconfigured to allow a tapper to select a content provider from a mapthat displays representations of members of the content sharingcommunity; conveying solicitations from the tappers to the selectedcontent provider to provide near real-time video feeds, respectively;providing a fourth interface that presents the solicitations in an orderaccording to predetermined ranking criteria.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising providing a fifth interface that allows the contentprovider to define the ranking criteria.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein the fourth interface also presents the solicitations in groupsaccording to predetermined grouping criteria.
 4. The method of claim 1,further comprising filtering the solicitations according topredetermined filtering criteria.